Fluoride opponents widen their targets

Activist aims to lobby Palm Beach County

December 28, 2006|By George Andreassi Stuart News

Port St. Lucie — Anti-fluoride activists are turning their attention to Stuart and Port St. Lucie after they helped convince the Martin County Commission last week to scrap plans to add fluoride to the county's drinking water.

But a majority of Port St. Lucie City Council members said Wednesday that they see no reason to discuss halting the city's fluoridation program.

"Fluoride is in Port St. Lucie's water and, at this point in time, I don't see that changing because of the benefits ... [of] better dental health care," Mayor Patricia Christensen said.

Christensen and two other council members said they are relying on reports by top national health organizations that say low levels of fluoride are safe and help prevent tooth decay.

Jensen Beach resident Pat Arena, who helped convince Martin to drop its fluoridation program because of concerns about potential side effects, said he was upset about the pro-fluoride stance taken by three city council members.

But Arena said he would continue lobbying the Port St. Lucie City Council as well as the Stuart City Commission and would eventually start talks with the Palm Beach County Commission.

"I want to make sure they get both sides of the story," Arena said.

Arena said fluoride can be harmful to infants, the elderly and people with certain medical conditions.

"Hopefully, after Port St. Lucie shuts it off and the City of Stuart shuts it off, then West Palm would be next," he said.

In June, the Palm Beach County Commission rejected arguments that the additive is harmful and voted to keep fluoridating water that reaches 480,000 residents in unincorporated Palm Beach County.

A divided Stuart City Commission might discuss the issue as soon as its Jan. 8 meeting, said Commissioner Jeff Krauskopf, who wants to abandon the city fluoridation program.

Although they have received e-mails from several opponents of fluoridation, Christensen and several other Port St. Lucie City Council members said they do not see a groundswell of opposition in the city to the decade-long practice of adding fluoride to the city's water supply.

Much of the opposition has been from Martin residents, several council members said.

"At this point, it's not an issue in Port St. Lucie," Port St. Lucie Councilwoman Michelle Berger said.